The present invention relates to an electromechanical vibration generator and more particularly, it relates to a mini-electromagnetic vibrator fit to a portable electronic device and a device employing the same vibrator.
Among portable devices such as cellular phones, personal data assistants, amusement devices, and health instruments, electromagnetic vibrators (hereinafter also referred to just as a vibrator) are integrated in those devices to transmit the vibration to the carriers of those devices. Many of the vibrators are made up by adding eccentric gravity to a rotor of a mini direct current motor (hereinafter referred to as a vibration motor). Both of a flat shape and a slender shape have been available in the conventional vibration motors.
A rotational shaft of the slender shape vibration motor lies in a longitudinal direction. The vibration motor, in general, is mounted parallel to the longitudinal direction of a device. Accordingly, the device vibrates in a direction vertical to the longitudinal direction. This type of vibration motor fits to a device to be downsized because it generates required vibration although it has relatively a small cubic volume. On the other hand, the rotational shaft of the flat shape vibration motor, in general, stands vertical to a plane where the motor is mounted. The plane is usually mounted parallel to the longitudinal direction of the device, therefore, the device vibrates in a direction parallel to its longitudinal direction. This motor fits to a device requiring large vibration because it can generate large vibration thanks to gaining a fairly long rotational radius considering its thinness.
As such, those two types of motor have both good and bad points, thus the type of motor has been selected depending on an application of a device. However, versatile requirements arise from the market, and the same device needs different modes of vibration. In this case, those conventional vibration motors often require the housing of the device to be modified responsive to a vibration mode needed, thus they cannot deal with the market requirements so quickly. The market, therefore, needs a vibrator which can generate vibration in either direction to satisfy those requirements.
The market still needs a novel vibration mode to produce some reality in e.g. amusement devices. For instance a vehicle needs to simulate rolling, yawing and pitching with corresponding types of vibration, or three-dimensional vibration which needs more complex technique. Because the market demands such devices, a mini vibrator that can generate vibration in any directions is also required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the problems discussed above and aims to contribute to realizing such devices having well-advanced.
An electromagnetic vibrator of the present invention comprises the following elements:
(a) a movable body revolving or reciprocating with respect to a center axis by being powered from outside; and
(b) an outer shell supporting the movable body and including two mounting facesxe2x80x94one is vertical and another is parallel to the center axis.
A portable device of the present invention includes the electromagnetic vibrator discussed above.
This structure allows the vibrator to generate vibration in either direction, and contribute to increasing versatility of the device.
Another portable device of the present invention has a plurality of electromagnetic vibrators in which movable bodies perform either one of revolving or reciprocating movement with respect to the center axes to generate vibration. The plurality of electromagnetic vibrators are mounted to the device with their center axes lying in specific different directions or in the same direction.
This structure allows vibrators to have complex vibration modes such as generating vertical and lateral vibrations at the same time, and contribute to realizing a device of well-advanced functions.